Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Christmas Eve Highlights

We had such a great time on Christmas Eve. The Candlelight Service was one thing (story to come later), but the time spent with family was awesome. Highlights of the evening:

Lilija freaking out when Santa came to the door (as in hid under the kitchen table), but as soon as he left exclaimed, "Oh, that was SO sweet!"

Stoffing stuckers - I think there were some this year that we didn't guess!

Calah swimming in the presents

Grammarais and Robert joining us

Me thinking that Apples-t0-Apples was my sauce pans and then Mama telling me that she had accidentally given them to GG, only to open the sauce pans next. (Why I ever thought sauce pans could fit in a Apples-to-Apples box is beyond me.)

Uncle Andy and Auntie Trish giving Lilija cookie cutters and Cookie Monster so that we can carry on the cookie making tradition that she did with her mom.

Animal noses. Yep. That's right. Animal noses.

Staying up WAY to late but loving every moment.

While I'm at it, I might as well tell the story from church and then I'll work on pictures. So here's the story...

We (Carl, the girls, and I) were asked to read the Advent reading at church for the Christmas Eve service. We told Lilija that there were going to be candles and to be careful because "candles are very, very hot." When we got up to the platform the congregation was silent and Lillija says, with her hands extended, "The candles are very, very, hot, ok?!" (giggle...giggle...throughout the congregation) Next I have to do the reading. I have Calah on my left hip, the words in my left hand, and I'm holding the microphone in my right hand. Right at the end, Calah decides to grab the words and starts waving them around. (giggle...giggle..throughout the congregation) Carl reads the prayer and we're done. Whew! That's wasn't too bad.

Well, after we are done with the Advent reading, Pastor Randy asks the kids to come to the platform so he can read the Christmas Story. Carl and I decide Lilija is old enough so we let her go to the platform (we were in the second row so we were close). There was a rocking chair for him to sit in, and a large rug for the kids to sit on. As he was standing and getting everyone settled, Lilija decided that SHE wanted to sit in the rocking chair, so she bypassed the rug and went right for the rocker. Pastor was still speaking and didn't realize that Lilija was sitting in his chair. By this time the congregation is laughing and he doesn't know why...until he goes to sit down and realized that our precious Lilija had taken his spot.

So, that's the story! I think it will be a story that we tell almost every Christmas...especially when she gets older and has friends over. Mwa-ha-ha!

I hope the story brought a smile to your face, and that you all had a joyous and wonderful Christmas.

Friends and Family

About Me

College choir in the fall of 1998 I saw a guy walk into class and said, "That's the man I'm going to marry." In May of 2004 that came true when I married Carl, and my last name changed to Corbett. (I had been practicing signing it for YEARS!!) In April of 2008 we welcomed our daughter, Lilija Marais, into our lives, our heart and our home. In May of 2010 we welcomed another daughter, Calah Ann, to the family. As my Mama likes to say, "I LOVE MY FAMILY!" Amen!